Crimson Tide

Defending national champion Alabama is still at the top of the college football world as the top- ranked team in the preseason Associated Press poll, which was released Saturday. Alabama received 54 of 60 first-place votes and a total of 1,491 points, while Ohio State checked in at No. 2 with three first-place votes and 1,400 points. Boise State received its highest ranking ever in the polls in the third slot and garnered a single first-place vote. Also receiving a single first-place vote was fifth-ranked Texas, which lost to the Tide in last year's national championship game, and seventh-ranked Oklahoma.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Maryland men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon said he talked to his players at halftime of their National Invitation Tournament quarterfinal against Alabama about Frazier-Ali, Michael Jackson and other great performances at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Now, Maryland will get a chance to end its season with one of its own. The No. 2-seeded Terps weathered a late surge from the No. 1-seeded Crimson Tide on Tuesday night, winning 58-57 in Coleman Coliseum and earning a trip to Madison Square Garden for next week's NIT semifinals.

By James Ulmer and James Ulmer,The Hollywood Reporter | September 1, 1995

It was Denzel Washington's day as the Venice Film Festival kicked off its 52nd edition Wednesday. And if the actor's grand entrance on a submarine lacked fanfare, it managed to bring out the paparazzi.The long-planned promotional gig for "Crimson Tide," which stars Mr. Washington and screened here opening night, was clearly one of the most ambitious in the history of the festival. The stint featured Mr. Washington sailing into the harbor late Wednesday morning atop a huge gray submarine, accompanied by "Tide" director Tony Scott and its producer, Jerry Bruckheimer.

Think seeding is important? It sure is in the National Invitation Tournament, where top-seeded Alabama will get to host second-seeded Maryland on Tuesday night for the right to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden on April 2. The better seed gets the home game in the NIT. Alabama defeated fourth-seeded Stanford, 66-54, on Saturday to advance. If the Cardinal had won, the Terps would have hosted the quarterfinal game at Comcast Center. Maryland has won four of five games since the regular season ended -- two in the ACC tournament and two in the NIT. Alabama and Maryland last played in Puerto Rico early last season -- a 20-point Alabama win. The Crimson Tide hasn't lost at home since Dec. 30 -- a 53-50 loss to Tulane.

NEW ORLEANS -- So it came to pass (pun intended) that, squarely in the middle of an age in which the forward pass rules college football, an Alabama team incapable of passing rose up and won a national title.Bear Bryant was not the only eternal coach made happy by the Crimson Tide's elemental dismantling of Miami in the Sugar Bowl. Shoot, the Bear coached Joe Namath and Ken Stabler; he didn't mind throwing. But what about Woody Hayes, who always suspected that passing was somehow Communist?

By Evan Grant and Evan Grant,Knight-Ridder News Service | March 18, 1991

ATLANTA -- Wake Forest coach Dave Odom wouldn't be upset. Really, he couldn't be upset.In losing to Alabama, 96-88, yesterday in the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Southeast Regional at The Omni, No. 5 seed Wake had played as well as it could.Alabama was simply that much better.Odom said this finally might be the year the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide advances past the regional semifinals, where it has been eliminated four times in the past six years.At least the Tide will get another chance in the Sweet 16. Last year, it fell, 62-60, to Loyola Marymount in the West Regional semifinals in Oakland, Calif.

Think seeding is important? It sure is in the National Invitation Tournament, where top-seeded Alabama will get to host second-seeded Maryland on Tuesday night for the right to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden on April 2. The better seed gets the home game in the NIT. Alabama defeated fourth-seeded Stanford, 66-54, on Saturday to advance. If the Cardinal had won, the Terps would have hosted the quarterfinal game at Comcast Center. Maryland has won four of five games since the regular season ended -- two in the ACC tournament and two in the NIT. Alabama and Maryland last played in Puerto Rico early last season -- a 20-point Alabama win. The Crimson Tide hasn't lost at home since Dec. 30 -- a 53-50 loss to Tulane.

PHOENIX - The most popular college sports in Alabama traditionally have been football and ... well, spring football. But the Alabama state universities have taken major strides to alter that one-dimensional perception by their extraordinary performances in this year's NCAA tournament. Alabama has an Elite Eight date with basketball powerhouse Connecticut today at America West Arena. The No. 8 seed Crimson Tide (20-12) managed to knock off No. 1-seeded Stanford last weekend in Seattle and defending national champion Syracuse on Thursday night to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in school history.

When former Gilman star Cyrus Jones Jr. finished sorting through his 40-plus football scholarships following his senior season, he concluded Alabama was the right place for him. This time of year, the big game in front of him, is why. "One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Alabama was to have a chance to play at the highest level and compete for a national championship every year," said Jones, who has made an impact in his freshman season...

Cyrus Jones Jr. always strives to test his football skills against the best, from playing up an age group in Pop Warner to playing for No. 1 Gilman. It will be no different in college. Jones is headed to No. 2 Alabama, which has appeared in and won more bowl games than any other program. Jones announced his commitment to a national television audience at Thursday night's Under Armour All-America game in St. Petersburg, Fla., during which he returned an interception for a touchdown.

When former Gilman star Cyrus Jones Jr. finished sorting through his 40-plus football scholarships following his senior season, he concluded Alabama was the right place for him. This time of year, the big game in front of him, is why. "One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Alabama was to have a chance to play at the highest level and compete for a national championship every year," said Jones, who has made an impact in his freshman season...

Alabama has depth Jeff Barker Baltimore Sun College football seasons are marathons, not sprints. Teams begin the year in their shiny best, but by the end they can appear frayed. That's where depth comes in. As good as USC is — and its talent is gaudy on offense — the Trojans still are subject to scholarship restrictions. The toll may not be evident immediately, but it could be by the time the Trojans host Oregon on Nov. 3. Remember that USC's defensive line already has been thinned by departures and injury.

Cyrus Jones Jr. always strives to test his football skills against the best, from playing up an age group in Pop Warner to playing for No. 1 Gilman. It will be no different in college. Jones is headed to No. 2 Alabama, which has appeared in and won more bowl games than any other program. Jones announced his commitment to a national television audience at Thursday night's Under Armour All-America game in St. Petersburg, Fla., during which he returned an interception for a touchdown.

It's hard to argue with being in balmy Puerto Rico on a November day, but here is what Maryland encountered after busing from its beachfront hotel and casino to the coliseum: a loaded, hungry Alabama team that dominated the boards in a 62-42 rout of the inexperienced, poor-shooting Terps. It may have been 85 degrees in San Juan, but Maryland guards -- pressed full court early by the 16th-ranked Crimson Tide -- were icy cold in the first of three Terps game at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram will miss Alabama's opener Saturday against San Jose State after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday morning. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said the junior running back hurt his left knee in practice Monday. "It was a situation where everyone involved thought it would be better to take care of it now so he would not have any issues with it later," Saban said. Saban said Ingram will be monitored carefully on a week-to-week basis.

Defending national champion Alabama is still at the top of the college football world as the top- ranked team in the preseason Associated Press poll, which was released Saturday. Alabama received 54 of 60 first-place votes and a total of 1,491 points, while Ohio State checked in at No. 2 with three first-place votes and 1,400 points. Boise State received its highest ranking ever in the polls in the third slot and garnered a single first-place vote. Also receiving a single first-place vote was fifth-ranked Texas, which lost to the Tide in last year's national championship game, and seventh-ranked Oklahoma.

The No. 1 Crimson Tide held on after an unlikely charge that began after freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert took over for injured starter Colt McCoy. The untested Gilbert brought his team to within three points late in the fourth quarter. Sports

Two of college football's most storied programs vie for the Bowl Championship Series national title tonight at 8:38 on channels 2 and 7. For the No. 1 Crimson Tide, led by Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, right, it would be the first championship since 1992; the No. 2 Longhorns, led by two-time Heisman finalist Colt McCoy, last won in 2005. For matchups and X-factors, see PG 10

PASADENA, Calif. -- The argument, if there even really was one, is over. Any notion that the Southeastern Conference was not the best in college football ended Thursday night at the Rose Bowl, where top-ranked Alabama beat No. 2 Texas, 37-21, in the Bowl Championship Series title game. The Crimson Tide gave the SEC its fourth consecutive BCS title, joining two-time champion Florida and LSU as teams that were at their best on college football's grandest stage. Alabama knocked Texas quarterback Colt McCoy out of the game on the Longhorns' first offensive series, scored 24 points in the second quarter and withstood a Longhorns rally to win its first BCS title.

The No. 1 Crimson Tide held on after an unlikely charge that began after freshman quarterback Garrett Gilbert took over for injured starter Colt McCoy. The untested Gilbert brought his team to within three points late in the fourth quarter. Sports